the thing is, i’m about choice…in its purest form. i’m not talking just when it suits me…but in general. i’m not advocating that i know the right decision for anyone.

abortion…i don’t think everyone should get one, just those that want/need one.

gay marriage…like any marriage – for those who want the government stamp of approval on their love (and all the nifty perks and tax benefits that go with it)

ditto for freedom of speech. i’m not for screaming fire in the middle of a mardi gras packed venue but if you want to talk about my opinion and how it is wrong (without lying) then go for it. someone i disagree with should get the right to speak because it ensures thatwhen i am the less popular voice it can still be heard.

because i’m not preganant and don’t forsee being in that state any time in the near future, i find myself usually on the sidelines in discussions that involve mothers. work or don’t. attachment parenting or letting your kid wail. i have opinions but since i have no children mine are purely theory.

so when i read an article advocating for the ban of the breast pump i was eager to see what profound argument they must have to not only decide for themselves, but for every other woman – working or not – who uses one.

what it came to was a matter of perceived dignity coupled with inconvenience. but even as i read it, i couldn’t help but think that no one made any of those women breastfeed and subsequently use a breast pump. and since less than half of women are still breastfeeding at 6 months and a mere 21 % at a year, i find it hard to believe that peer pressure could even be cited.

the thing is…the women viewed this plastic contraption of plastic and tubing as an assault to their womanhood while my sister saw it as a compromise for not being home all the time but still able to provide for her daughters nutritional needs in the way she saw fit.

i don’t think any woman should have to use a breast pump. i don’t know what nipples sunctioned into a contraption feel like so who am i to say anyone else should have to…but who is anyone to say i can’t?